Are women to blame for the sexism of men?

The Guardian has up an interesting (warning, non-family-friendly topics mentioned) on what they call "Lad Magazines" - the British equivilents of Magnum - and accusations from feminists that they are unacceptably sexist and proof that men have not learned anything from the Feminism. The problem now, the author argues, is not men who are trying to be better, but women who encourage boorish and sexist behavior!

It is hard to see how men can be expected to notice a distinction between professional sex objects and the vast majority of women if we can't tell the difference ourselves.

I can't really post more of the article here, because of non-family-friendly topics, but if you are a parent I encourage you to click over. It argues convincingly that before any more progress is likely to be made on male culture to cut down on demand for girly shows and the like, women need to change their own behaviors which seem to encourage their objectification.

I am not arguing - nor is the author - that men do not need to control themselves and fight against other men who would treat women as objects. But I have to agree with her when she says it is inconsistent to teach your son to respect women, and then let your daughter wear clothes with words like "Too Sexy" and "Booty Call" on them.